Discord watched with boredom as the ponies passed by, not taking a single glance at him. They all regarded him as merely a stone statue. A memory of a time long ago. An ornament to decorate their gardens.
He despised them. Every last one of them. They were the ones responsible for this. All he ever wanted to do was bring a little fun and happiness to an otherwise oppressive world. But they wouldn’t even let him have that. Instead, Celestia had banished him to this stone prison alone.
Some of them smiled and hummed to themselves as they walked by, enjoying the warmth of the evening sun. Discord didn’t feel the heat. He felt nothing. Nothing except hatred for the one responsible for all of this. He envied all of them, having the freedom to move about, to talk, to laugh…
Who truly was the monster here? Himself, for inflicting the joys of life and happiness on these poor ponies? Or Celestia, for making their lives the same thing over and over again, boring and repetitive. She was the one who had encased him in this banishment, to lay dormant and alone. He had never done that to any pony. The mere thought of things being the same forever would have made his spine curl. It was a fate he would never wish upon any pony. Not even Celestia herself.
As bored as ever with the same ponies passing him, his thoughts drifted to a time long ago, when he was in power. Celestia had sprouted that ponies were “oppressed” during his rule, and that it was a time of turmoil for everypony. Was that truly what it was? The ponies were happy during his rule. True, some resisted him. But some ponies enjoyed his reign, happy that their lives weren’t so predictable.
But then Celestia and her brat of a sister came along. They destroyed his kingdom and banished him. Brought “order” to his perfect, chaotic world. They preached that they had “liberated” the ponies, and then they sealed him in stone for having fun.
Oh, how those memories made his blood boil, recalling the many years of loneliness he had experienced. It finally ended when he was released, prompting his second reign of Equestria. Celestia and Luna were powerless to stop him this time; he had stolen the elements and broken the bearers. Oh, the delight he took in breaking up their precious friendship! The memories of it almost made him happy.
But even that ended. The bearers of harmony restored their friendship and stood up against him, banishing him yet again. Now he stood alone in the Canterlot gardens for possibly all of time.
He hated Celestia with all of his heart. She was responsible for all of this. For all his misery. She was the one who rejected him, the one who turned him into the brutal “monster” that he was. Perhaps for a time he loved her, but that was long ago. Before she imprisoned him.
So, alone, he stood and waited, observing the ponies as he did every day. He remembered their faces; their daily activities and movements. He knew the name of everypony that walked by, and he hated them all.
Day turned to night as it always did, and very soon he was completely alone. The beauty of the gardens was awe-inspiring at this time of night. Small lanterns cast their magical blue flames upon the plants and trees, illuminating them in a beautiful light. The tranquility and quietness of the night in an otherwise bustling city, and the many ornate statues that decorated the grounds were gorgeous. All that could be heard was the soft dripping of water as rain rolled off the tallest trees. He was, of course, bored of it now. He’d seen it a million times, and they had no effect on him. Instead of taking in its beauty as he always did, he waited.
Suddenly, the sound of hooves filled the night air. Somepony was taking a midnight stroll through the gardens. He found it odd as he couldn’t remember the last time he saw a pony at this time of night. The footsteps continued, and from behind a bush came a pony he didn’t expect; somepony that made hatred brew in his heart.
“Discord…” The white Alicorn walked up to him, looking his hideous form up and down. It was the first time in a long while anypony had really noticed him, or had regarded him as a mere decoration. He had expected that she came to mock him, or laugh at his misfortune.
However, a look crossed her face that caught him off guard. Celestia frowned. “Discord… I never wanted this…”
What? Confusion raced across his mind. What was the meaning of this? This was not the same Celestia that he had met before; this was not the Celestia that had banished him. What kind of cruel game was she playing?
“Discord, all you wanted was chaos. You never saw anything else in life, and you hated order and organization. But still, I felt there was a part of you that was different; that cared for ponies. I thought maybe the elements could see this, and make you see the light, just as they did with my dearest sister, Luna.”
What was she babbling about? Was she saying she cared for him; that perhaps there could have been something between them?
“I suppose I was wrong though. The elements turned you to stone, and I’m so sorry about it… I can’t imagine what it must be like in there, alone for all eternity.” He watched now with curiosity as tears ran from her eyes, and her lip curled as she spoke.
“…And then you were free, and I felt happy for you. I thought that maybe your banishment had changed you, and maybe we could have lived in harmony. But yet again I was wrong… Instead, you hated me, and wanted revenge. I was forced to turn you into stone again; something that hurt me more than you could possibly imagine.”
Harmony? Could he and Celestia perhaps have lived together in harmony? The mere thought would have made him laugh back then, but now… No. he told himself firmly. She destroyed you; she ruined your life. Because of what she did, you could never love her.
“Now, whenever I look at you, I grow a hatred for myself. Remorse that maybe you could have been saved. I blame myself for what’s happened to you, and although you may have been a monster; although you may have wanted chaos… Maybe, just maybe, I….”
Her voice trailed off and Discord listened attentively. What could she possibly see in him? Could she perhaps have shared the feeling that he had felt so long ago? No! She's tricking you. She only ever wanted to hurt you... Her words mean nothing, they're all lies! Bit by bit, her words eroded his mind, breaking away at the hate he felt for her.
“I…” Tears were now pouring from her face, and it took all her strength to keep from falling to the ground in a sobbing fit. “…Loved you…”
The words struck him like a hammer. His heart, which had been dark with pure hatred and loathing, changed. It shattered like a mirror, and the hatred that once filled his entire body disappeared. He didn’t blame her for this; she had only wanted to help him. If he was alive, tears would be streaming from his eyes. Instead only his heart wept.
“I doubt you can even hear me right now… Even if you could, I doubt you would care. You probably still have the same burning hatred for me. I don’t blame you; it’s my fault you’re in there. I should be the one encased in stone…” Celestia looked deep into his vacant, empty eyes. “I’m sorry, Discord…” With that, she turned and promptly left, taking one last look at him before leaving.
He didn’t know what to think. He felt sorry that Celestia was so wracked with guilt over his punishment. He wished that the elements could have seen a glimmer of hope in him. Maybe enough hope to save him.
But instead, here he was, alone, wishing that he could be with Celestia. He wished that he could have at least said something to her, and so for the first time in a long while he did not blame Celestia. Instead, he blamed himself. When she didn’t love him, he became the monster that he was; spreading chaos and disharmony across the land. And even in this conflict Celestia still saw the good in him that lay deep down. She tried to save him, and failed.
So, in the darkness of the Canterlot gardens, Discord waited alone. Wishing that things could have gone differently. Soon, he began to see that maybe order could be good and fun… if you had someone to share it with…